In this video, I switch gears from car problems and show off one of my favorite things- my Vectrex video game console!
The Vectrex is a truly unique home video game system that came out in 1982. For starters, it was the only home game system to have it's own built in screen instead of hooking to a TV. The screen was oriented vertically just like the screens of most arcade games at the time, and it used vector graphics instead of raster, This made images with crisp unbroken lines instead of large blocky pixels.
The image on my Vectrex was off when I got it. The characters were tiny, badly skewed and in many places unreadable. The image on my screen was way off center, and stuff would happen that I couldn't see.
I did a little research and found people talking about being able to adjust these things, so I opened it up and looked for potentiometers to mess with. This video will show you what I learned.
I have just fixed the shift. Never seen a diagonal one before. Thank you very much!!!
Such a great tutorial It's refreshing to have no waffle or rambling, you show clearly where things are, and keep it concise and to the point. I've had my vectrex 20+ years but had not turned it on in 4 years since we moved house. Dismayed to find the picture skewed and off center but it now looks perfect. Cool hat by the way.
Thanks!! I really try to make my videos clear and to the point! Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
To everyone messing around with the potentiometers: you can reach the two potentiometers on the powerboard from the other side. There two holes that allow adjustment. It might keep you from getting hurt or damaging the Vectrex. :)
Thanks! Good advice!
Mine is now perfectly fixed, thanks to you.
Hey, Thanks!! That makes my day! Thanks again!
Good luck! Make sure not to short anything or get shocked!
Very informative video Clay! I figured out today that joystick drift can be fixed with potentiometers. I wanted to see what else could be adjusted and found this video. The Vectrex is truly amazing in how easy it is to maintain.
It really is! I love the Vectrex. I'm so glad my video was helpful! Thanks for watching and thanks so much for commenting!
Thanks!, my screen was out of center, the diagonal potentiometer did the trick and i could match it exactly with the overlay. Very to the point tutorial, great work.
Thanks! I'm really glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching and for commenting!
Thank you very much! I had to get one of these awesome pieces of hardware ready for sale. System was somehow full of dead roaches, and the picture was all screwed up (rescued it from some hillbilly) now it’s all cleaned up and looking good. Gonna go to a collector who will hopefully not fill it with dead bugs.
You know I've heard of there being "bugs in the system" but... wow! I'm so glad to hear that an old Vectrex is going to a good home! That's great! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to tell my wife about it!
Thank you very much for making this!!! I just recently got me a system and its in perfect condition,but its nice to know little things that I can do to fix some issues if ever they come up!!!
Thanks for the video. Helped me a bunch
So glad! The Vectrex is an amazing system. It’s best when the picture is adjusted just right! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Very helpful. Thank you 👍
Thank you! I’m so glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Great little video.
Thanks! I love my Vectrex, and this is something that I did on mine that really worked for me. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks to your video, i was able to adjust the Image on my Vectrex! :-)Greetings from Switzerland.
Oh, awesome! Thanks to Switzerland!
Thanks so much for this. I was a bit hesitant to open up my Vectrex and start playing with all the different pots to try and fix my image but your video let me know exactly which pots to adjust and where they were located. Playing Rockaroids Remix now and loving it!
Thanks! I'm really glad it helped. I agree- opening up the Vectrex is a bit intimidating, but that the only way I could figure to make the adjustments mine needed. Enjoy Rockaroids Remix! Awesome choice! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Great video and easy to understand, may not be by the book but it works!
Thanks for the really informative and really well put together guide. Wasn't what I was looking for but still I appulade you. Was looking to for a guide/repair for the graphics looking glitchy. Using the same game mine storm an example would be the ship parts coming down are tangled up .
thenextlevel123 thanks! I really appreciate the comment!
Did you ever get those glitch graphics sorted out? Here's a couple of links: archive.org/details/vectrex-service-manual/ console5.com/techwiki/images/f/f8/Vectrex-Troubleshooting_Guide.pdf
Wow thanks for this video! I just streamed the vectrex and noticed that in star trek, the square in the middle where you shoot, it was off compared to the overlay, I think I need the diagonal adjustment don't to mine I'm gonna have to do this when I have some spare time.
I will link this video to mine when I do the adjustment, and give some advice also on why you should be careful with it
I just got a Vectrex and the screen is slightly off center so this video will be a lot of help. Thanks! Hopefully I can fix it
There's also some mechanical adjustments built into the screen which I've been told are the "proper" way to center the screen, but I've never played with them. So maybe those can help too. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Excellent, many thanks!
Thanks! Glad it helped.
good job sir!
You can order a plastic screw driver set for working on live tubes. This could be very dangerous if you are not careful. Thank you for your video as it is to the point.
And thank YOU for that great tip! That’s a really good idea as you are absolutely right. Even unplugged the caps and tube still have a lot of charge stored up and one wrong move can hurt me or worse- hurt my poor Vectrex! Thanks for the info. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
nicely done
Thanks!
In the process of purchasing one now.I want to know how to have it serviced in the future if needed.(old tv repairman or electronics repair...who?)Your video is very helpful and I thank you.I subbed and liked it.
Thank you so much! I should mention that several people have commented telling me that some of what I did in this video is the wrong way to make those adjustments, so use my methods with caution. As for who to take that to for service? I'm not sure. It seems like a TV repair place might work but I really don't know for sure. You could pose the question on a retro gaming forum. I think the Vectrex still has quite a cult following. Good luck, and I hope you love your Vectrex!
That last "diagonal adjustment" is the DAC adjustment pot. The adjustment manual screams "This is not to be used for screen positioning". There's another video here that uses the Test Cart V4 (on lots of multi-carts) and a meter to measure resistance. Between that pot and a nearby chip pin. The Carts says Adjust DAC Offset and then goes black. That is when you want to have a reading of 0 ohms, it cycles over and over so you can get to Zero Ohms or close while the screen is off. The proper way to center the display is the 2 magnets on the tiny back of the tube. There's videos of that. It looks like a metal ring in white plastic with a metal tab sticking out. Since it really needs to be on and displaying something don't get near the metal box flyback transformer. Looking in the back that top left area has the 15,000 volts. Having said that, I have adjusted those tabs with my bare fingers, so they don't shock. (Just pay attention and don't touch anything else while moving them.) Also TV adjustment tools were plastic like for the pots you used a screwdriver, and also a plastic straw-like extender so you can get way in there and not short or shock yourself. A screwdriver should be okay, but since Screwdrivers can be dropped and Murphy's Law causing chaos, make your own long plastic Phillips and Flat screwdrivers unless you can drop $300 on another Vectrex if dropped metal tools cause your machine to release its magic smoke and break. Stated above the yellow ones can be turned from the other side through the circuit board's holes.
iespostavid, wow! Okay. I stand corrected. Thank you so much for all the valuable info. FYI - I wouldn't mind a bit if you post links to any of those videos you mentioned. I'm just glad to see people sharing good information. Thanks again!
Clay Carlino : Thanks. I'm all for sharing info. I'm always puzzled why the "what fixed the Vectrex" answer is so different every time! Answers like: "It was the on/off volume switch", "reseated the socketed chips", "Cleaned wire connectors / changed the wires", "how low quality the circuit board traces were made. "Sometimes a changed part looks soldered to the top and bottom, but there's no metal in the board hole so bad solder joints can happen if both top and bottom traces are not connected to the part."
iespostavid, I know for me, the Vectrex was kind of a "discovered secret". I don't remember ever even hearing about it when I was a kid. I discovered it at a Replay FX event in Pittsburgh. Then I got one on ebay with no manual or anything. To be honest, I didn't even realize I could adjust the image until I read about it in a forum and started tinkering. But yeah, there's a lot of conflicting info out there. Thanks for doing your part to give good advice.
Thanks for this, very very useful for me as I was looking for info on adjustments and this was perfect. Just one thing, is there not a focus adjustment on there anywhere? The lines on my screen are a little out of focus.
I'm really not sure. I opened it up and looked for potentiometers (variable resistors) then I turned it on and turned them one at a time and watched the effect. I know that's a TERRIBLE method! I could have shocked myself badly or shorted out my Vectrex, but that's what I did. I may do a little research on focussing a cathedral ray tube and if I find anything, I'll post it!
OK many thanks Clay actually after adjusting the pots you suggest I found that the focus was better also the brightness effects sharpness too I think I had it too high. I have been told by others today that there is no focus adjustment in the vectrex. Thanks again.
thank you
You're welcome! Good luck with your Vectrex! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
This helped a bunch with my Vectrex but the graphics/lines are all shaky erratic. Any insight on that?
I’m afraid not. I’m not really an electronics guy. I know that often times, with old cathode ray tube devices like this, people recommend replacing the capacitors, but I haven’t done it. You could possibly research your symptoms as they apply to a normal crt monitor or tv and see if that gives you any insights as well. Sorry that’s not more helpful. Good luck with your Vectrex! Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
Thanks for the video. Mine seems to have a slight wiggle which is noticable on text and stagnant images. Is that normal or is it a possible issue?
I don't know for sure. Mine also has a slight wiggle. I suspect its common, but is it a sign of something bad or about to go bad? That I don't know. Sorry I don't have a better answer!
@@ClayCarlino thanks for the quick response. Since these are uncommon it's hard to compare one to the other for possible issues. LCD/digital displays have ruined me, lol. Thanks again.
@@t.armstrong3119 No problem! I'm right there with you about being spoiled by LCD screens. In fact the Vectrex is the entire reason I broke my rule about never wanting to own another CRT again!
It'd be great if there was a kit to somehow be able to make these adjustments from outside the shell...handfull of knobs or something....
That would be awesome! I don't know of any such kit, but it would still be great. I should mention though that others have commented that this is not the proper way to make these adjustments, and I respect that... It's just not how I did it! 😉
So playing around inside a live CRT?
Yeah... I never said it's a GOOD idea! Ha ha! Seriously though, yes, I'm taking a risk here AND I'm not even doing it properly. If I has accidentally touched the wrong thing, slipped in some way, I could have seriously hurt myself or even worse hurt my vectrex! But I'm familiar enough with electronics to recognize variable resistors when it see them, and I know that the "dial" is non-conductive. With that in mind I decided to take the risk. But yeah, you REALLY want to be careful with stuff like this!
Hello My startup screen seems to be a bit off, but i dont know if its in my imagination It seems like the left side line from top to bottom is slightly angled But i dont know Has anyone had this issue Games when the start are ok so it must be in my head
So if I remember correctly, the adjustments handle vectors and text separately. What I mean is that the potentiometers that adjust the text don't necessarily adjust the vectors and vice-versa. So if it were me, I'd open up the Vectrex and make small adjustments one at a time. And start up the Vectrex in between to see how the adjustments affect the startup. Hopefully you find improvements. Now if you do this, be careful! The cathode ray tube and other capacitors can deliver a dangerous shock even with the Vectrex unplugged. You can easily hurt the Vectrex or worse yourself if you're not careful. Also, other people have commented that you shouldn't be adjusting these potentiometers at all. They say that there's other ways to adjust the image that are the "correct" method. For all I know those people are right. I have never tried other methods. I tried this, had success and posted this video to show what I learned. The point is do this at your own risk, and seriously do be careful! I think that's all the warnings I can think of. Good luck! If you're not confident, do more research before doing anything. Feel free to let me know how it goes. Thanks for watching and thanks for commenting!
@@ClayCarlino you know its the box around the text that seems off
@@collj86 yeah. That's what I thought you were talking about, but I don't remember off hand which adjustments would affect that. This is tough question. You say it seems off, but you say that the games run fine. Without seeing what it's doing it's hard to tell what (if anything) should be done. If the problem is so slight that you're not even sure if it's actually a malfunction, then maybe it's not worth the risks of trying to fix it yourself. If it's something that is just going to continue to bug you every time you play, then it may be worth opening it up and checking things out. I'm sorry that I don't have more specific advice for you on your question. When I had problems, I wasn't even really looking at the box around the text. I had some pretty severe text legibility problems and vectors that were way off centered and skewed. After correcting that, the box around my text looked fine, so I never had to specifically try to adjust it. I still think its possible that one of the potentiometers I showed in the video COULD solve whatever issue you're having, but of course there are the risks I mentioned in my previous reply. I hope that helps. Sorry again that I can't give you more specific information. Good luck!
Hmmm, I'm very new to the vectrex and I found the proper way to make all these adjustments outlined in the manual utilizing the test rom. I'm no tech myself, but you're doing it wrong. Also there are holes on the solder side of the pcb for X & Y adjustments so you don't have to stick your hand under the tube while it's powered on.
That sounds great. If you've got the details or even a video of your own, send a link. I'd love to check it out and I'm happy to direct people to good information!
Mine has just a whte point in the center of the screen when I turn it on...
Oh, that seems bad! I'm afraid I don't know how to fix that off hand, but I did a search on google and found this video: kzhead.info/sun/m9qBebiIaGalhZ8/bejne.html I don't know if it will help, but it sounds like this guy had the same problem. Good luck!
@@ClayCarlino thnaks. I hope it's not too hard to fix :'(
@@BarbieChaite , I hope it's not hard too. There's no guarentee that the video I found is even the same problem, but it sure seemed similar to what you describe. And if that's the case, It's probably not very difficult. Still, if you do try to fix it yourself, be careful. Even after a cathode ray tube device like the Vectrex is unplugged, there's still a lot of electricity stored in the capacitors. If you touch the wrong thing, you CAN get shocked. Still if it is a case of a loose wire or some dirty contacts, it's not hard to open the case, check for loose connections and clean out the dust. Of course if you don't feel confident, keep doing research. The more you learn before you start, the better off you'll be when you dive in.
@@ClayCarlino it's dangerous even wearing plastic gloves ?
@@BarbieChaite I would think that wearing plastic or rubber gloves would be a good precaution. Now I should point out that I'm really not an electronics technician, so I'm by far not the best person to ask. I was able to open up my vectrex and make those adjustments as shown in the video with no problem. You might want to look online and see if there are videos about how to safely discharge a cathode ray tube. Whatever you decide to do, the more you find out, the more confident you will be when you try to do the work. And its okay to be extra cautious if you're at all unsure.
Vectrex DAC Adjustment (using resistance meter): kzhead.info/sun/ebOretaQhHeXdZ8/bejne.html
I just found this video where the guy takes a completely different approach: kzhead.info/sun/o9aIY7ObnpujgaM/bejne.html He's got a lot of good information, and his method is probably the "proper" way to do it! Either way you do it, the most important thing is not to hurt yourself or your Vectrex, and enjoy your Vectrex!
Clay Carlino Sadly even he didn't "really" read the manual. Its 20min of "I think", I'm not sure", "not sure what this is", "this is close enough", "I don't want to mess with it further". If people would just read and comprehend original documentation there would be no need for half assed misinformed monitized KZhead videos.
Completely wrong. The last pot you talk abput is the DAC offset adjustment, and, as explicitly stated by GCE service documentation should NOT be used for centering the screen !! To correctly adjust that pot you will need an oscilloscope, or at least a multi-meter and follow the procedure in the service manual. You are providing incorrect information with this video and if people follow it they set up their Vectrex incorrectly !
You are right. You are not the first person to point out that the GCE service document says not to use that pot to center the screen. Which is why when people mention that, I keep the comments posted here, so others can read them and know that what I did to my Vectrex is not necessarily what they want to do to their Vectrex. Now, if you happen to do a video about the proper way to make those adjustments, or maybe you create an instructables or something like that, please send me the link. I'd be happy to post the link here or even put it in the description so viewer have access to the best information.